Oaks

[benp]

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!

That is AWESOME!!!!!!!

 

[fearofpavement]

Earlier that day...

The lean is aimed right at the house


Pole sawing sections I didn't dare to climb

 

[fearofpavement]

Holding my breath and praying the tree doesn't break.



Last aerial cut and breathing easier.

 

[fearofpavement]

Working on the felling cuts



Need some more working room...



adjusting the face cut.

 

[fearofpavement]

Reason I was concerned. The tree pretty much bucked itself up into firewood length when it hit the ground...






The rotten stump

 

[fj40]

I only cut downed or damaged trees. This is about the size of oaks here.

Last September, I cut up a blown-down red oak of similar size with a huge root wad. After noodling the rounds into halves it was a dream to split by hand. A couple of things stood out while C/S/S this oak. 1st, It had a strong pungent smell for what seemed like months. 2nd, I was a bit concerned that a year or so wouldn't be a long enough time for it to season. In fact, while splitting it was not uncommon to see water bubbles on the end's of each split. 3rd, I was surprised just how well the wood has seasoned. I know this seems to contradict the views of many on this forum. A big part of this wood seasoning so well has to do with the fact it had been down for a few years. I've tried to do a search that compares the drying time/seasoning of blow-downs (dead) vs. green oak, with out much luck.

Matt

 

[fearofpavement]

The above tree was a white oak. It had a section of log chain in it about 30' from the ground??

 

[fearofpavement]

Here's another smaller oak I'm reducing to size. All of the trees I posted in this thread I did not get any wood from. It was all left on site.





Rigging pull rope. Near a house, can't take chances.

 

[Marine5068]

This is on public land behind my cabin. This is one of three 40's that hasn't been logged yet. 95 percent of the public land has been logged in the last 25 years here. The original cuttings from 91 are starting to look like a nice forest again.

Where in MINN are you located SVK? I'm asking because I've been up around Thunder Bay and Lake Nipigon before and went to College in Sault Ste. Marie and lived there for two years.
It's beautiful country up close to the northern regions of our Boreal forests of North America for sure. I feel very privileged to live where I do with all the trees, lakes and rivers and clean air and waterways that go on forever.

 

[audible fart]

I see all these hardcore pics of dangerous trees being taken down, then i think of my haul this week that consisted of me going to the dump and throwing about 200 pounds of oak logs in my truck that were laying on the ground& driving away. I'm really living on the edge.

 

[svk]

Where in MINN are you located SVK? I'm asking because I've been up around Thunder Bay and Lake Nipigon before and went to College in Sault Ste. Marie and lived there for two years.
It's beautiful country up close to the northern regions of our Boreal forests of North America for sure. I feel very privileged to live where I do with all the trees, lakes and rivers and clean air and waterways that go on forever.

I hunt south of International Falls. From a small town north of Duluth originally.

Thunder Bay is cool, we spent a New Years up there once. 2001 I think.

 

[Marine5068]

I see all these hardcore pics of dangerous trees being taken down, then i think of my haul this week that consisted of me going to the dump and throwing about 200 pounds of oak logs in my truck that were laying on the ground& driving away. I'm really living on the edge.

Ha, ha.....That's the way to scrounge though. Easiest stuff first.
I wish our dump would do that. Let me roll in and take away wood.
On my way to do a welding job, I once followed a local municipal three-ton truck loaded with Maple right up to the dump entrance and I kept thinking," he's not going to go dump that wood in there is he?"
Darn shame.

 

[ashy larry]

Buddy rented a skid steer yesterday so we cleaned up some down trees on his farm. A couple red oaks and a hickory/maple that had grown together first, tops left for firewood and logs cut out for milling. Then a white oak he had taken down last year after it was struck by lightning.

Probably 40" at the base, i cut it into 8' logs bc thats all the little skidsteer could handle.

 

[ashy larry]

This is him taking down a dead red oak. Id guess dead for three years, the bark on most limbs was falling off. Disregard his horrible cutting.

 

[101mph]

FOP you are awesome.

 

[fearofpavement]

Another oak. This one with a lean overhanging a driveway in the suburbs. Owner didn't want anymore branches falling on their vehicles.
It's a good view from there but I don't linger. From the bottom up it looks like 60'. From the top down it looks like 487'.



Same tree, different angle.

 

[fearofpavement]

When way up on the skinny ones and you cut a top off, it's hang on for dear life as the tree slingshots back and forth several feet in each direction. No, I don't enjoy that aspect of the ride... I don't climb much now as I sorta retired from that several months ago. Too old, too fat, too chicken.

 

[benp]

I see all these hardcore pics of dangerous trees being taken down, then i think of my haul this week that consisted of me going to the dump and throwing about 200 pounds of oak logs in my truck that were laying on the ground& driving away. I'm really living on the edge.

A win is a win

 

[brenndatomu]

I was considering purchasing a property a few years back that had a MONSTER Oak (no idea what type) out in the middle of a pasture all by its lonesome. I had to go check it out, because even from 1/4 mile away I could tell it was the biggest tree I had ever seen in this area. Canopy had to be 150' at least and was 5-6' DBH. I am 6'4" so I have a pretty good wingspan, but when I bear hugged the tree my wife said I was only somewheres between 1/4 to 1/3 away around...
No scrawny Oak syndrome in NE OH!

 

[hardpan]

When way up on the skinny ones and you cut a top off, it's hang on for dear life as the tree slingshots back and forth several feet in each direction. No, I don't enjoy that aspect of the ride... I don't climb much now as I sorta retired from that several months ago. Too old, too fat, too chicken.

Thanks for the photos. I don't have a clue how you decide when to stop climbing those tall skinny ones. If I had it to do over I would have learned to climb ( 30 or 40 years ago) at least at a recreation level. My hats off to ya.

I once worked with a guy who always told stories about running the dirt bike circuit. None of us believed him. One day he brought in a factory bike in back of his pick-up. Our shop was located in a rough country area on the side of a hill. He unloaded that bike and scared the crap out of all of us, running the banks and slopes and jumps wide open. That opened my eyes and I asked him why he quit racing. He said he got a wife and kids and started to care what happened to him and he could not win if he cared. Just to be clear I am not saying that everybody with hazardess work does not care.